Just Another Night?
by MarauderWitch
Summary: After almost a year hiding in their own house, James decides to prepare a special dinner for Lily who had been taking care of their son, crying all day. Not everything turns out as he expected though. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.


**Just Another Night?**

'James —' Lily started, but he shot her a look above his glasses and she stopped herself. 'I just don't see the point.'

'How many times do I have to tell you, Lils?' he asked though he had a grin on his face as he pulled the chair for her. The table was lit with long candles and James had chosen to use the set of tableware they were only to use when they had guests, which was too rare lately. 'We've been stuck in this house for almost a year now. Let's just try to forget about it all tonight, yeah?' He offered her a hand exhaling heavily, Lily uncrossed her arms and accepted it, coming to take her seat.

Sucking in a deep breath, she placed her wand on the table. They had just put Harry to sleep, he had been restless all day in her arms and had successfully tired her down. Or maybe he had just missed his git of a father since James had been busy all afternoon with the romantic — and rather pointless, she might add — dinner he insisted for them to have. She had found it to be a waste of time for they would be at home anyway, it was just another night … fearing for their lives and wishing the war was over. But how could it end? When most of the members of the Order were hiding and just hoping not to die?

James got the bottle of wine and Lily instinctively reached for her glass. A silly mistake, but of course he would not just let it pass.

'No, no, Evans! The last time I checked — and that was just half an hour ago, you were still breastfeeding the Potter legacy and I am not —'

'Yeah, yeah, James, I get it! Didn't mean to, all right?'

Her bright green eyes glared at him and instead of being uneasy under that piercing stare, James softened a little. He placed the bottle of wine back on the table and came to kneel before her taking her hand in his. He approached her, kissing her lips, slowly rolling his tongue over hers until he felt her relax against him.

'I love you, Lily. I have loved for so many years now. I'd do anything for you — I'd face Voldemort for you.'

'James —'

'Yeah, that's too easy. I'd face Voldemort without my wand for you.'

Lily shook he head in amusement.

'I'd take Harry and leave if you decided to just get yourself killed like that.'

'Oho! You think the Dark Lord would be able to defeat me?' he asked raising his eyebrows.

'No, of course not!' Lily laughed. 'How could I ever think something like that?'

James laughed with her and rested his head on her chest, letting a comfortable silence fall between them. 'Got you on the edge, didn't he? Harry, I mean.'

'He was just tired … and couldn't sleep.' Or that was what she thought; sometimes Harry still fussed for a long time and she could not figure out why or how to calm him down, making her feel rather useless as a mother. Lily shook her head, smiling a bit. 'I'm just glad he's sleeping now.'

'You know, I reckon you were right all along,' he admitted and Lily noted, it wasn't often that he did accept to be wrong. 'This is rather pointless.' James tilted his head towards the table and stood up, stepping towards the stairs, but she stopped him by holding his hand tight in hers.

'But I'm hungry,' Lily remarked, hoping to save some of their night.

'Oh, I wasn't talking about the food, Evans. Not letting all my work of art go to waste,' he smirked. 'I just happen to have a better idea. You're so lucky you got married to the brightest genius there is.' Of course that was not taking under account the fact that pretending they were in some sort of fancy restaurant when they were in fact in their own living-room was the best idea to get his wife to relax a bit, but she didn't need to know that.

Lily rolled her eyes and James tugged her hand.

'Come on.'

She stood up, letting him guide her to the bedroom though not without a peek into the nursery to make sure that Harry was indeed asleep, but the boy seemed to be fast asleep. James summoned all of the food he had spent so many hours preparing and conjured a tray to keep it all somewhat organised and safe from falling on the bed.

'Eating in bed?' Lily asked, arching an eyebrow at him. 'That's the genius's idea?'

'Well, I don't believe we've done it since Harry was born, so yes,' he answered, still holding an air of superiority that made her shot him a look for a couple of seconds before complying and moving to sit on the bed.

'I present you the Potters' Roasted Turkey,' James said solemnly. 'Demanded my best skills as a cook and you get to enjoy.' It also demanded for him to start over once he had done a few steps in the wrong way, but that wasn't important. Thank Merlin they didn't have a problem with gold to buy food in the last minute.

At last they had food on the plates and were starting to fill their stomachs with food when a cry coming from the nursery let them know that Mummy and Daddy were not the only hungry ones.

'I'll go get him,' James told her when Lily moved to get out of bed. 'You stay here and enjoy your dinner for another minute.' He walked over to the cot and rubbed his son's tummy. 'Hey there, Harry. What's got you fussing so much tonight, huh?' Slowly the boy's cries died a bit and he brought his tiny fist to his mouth, but he still seemed to smile at his father. 'Hungry, eh? I'd be too if I had those boobs every time my stomach wanted some food,' he remarked, taking his son in his arms. 'You know what is good, don't you, Harry?'

Back in the bedroom, Lily was already raising her arms to get the baby, but her son seemed much more interested in his father's glasses. She chuckled while James struggled to take the boy's hands off of his favourite toy at the moment.

'Harry!'

'Give them here,' she asked and slowly got the laughing boy and the glasses, allowing James to sit on the bed, though rather blind. 'There,' she said, handing the glasses back to her husband. However, was the only one thankful to have the glasses back with him for Harry started to cry and none of her attempts to get him to latch onto her breast were enough to make him quiet. Harry was waving his fat arms to his father, crying at the top of his lungs. Both of them frowned and Lily handed their son back to him. 'Did you check his nappy? I don't think he's hungry.'

'No, I —'

The boy was now laughing, trying to get to the glasses once more.

'I guess … I guess he just wants Daddy,' James remarked, a smirk starting to play on the corner of his lips. 'What can I say? He knows what is good.'

'That's 'cause he doesn't Daddy goes out to buy a roasted turkey at Mr Campbell's market an hour before dinner, isn't it?'

James stared at her open-mouthed wide eyed.

'I, um, ahn … I still have my mother's recipe, but it's more complicated than I thought.'

Lily laughed shaking her head.

'We can try it together tomorrow,' she told him, moving past her son who had finally managed to take the glasses out of his father's face, and pressing her lips against James's. 'And I still love you.'


End file.
